In online advertising, internet users are presented with advertisements as they browse the internet using a web browser or mobile application. Online advertising is an efficient way for advertisers to convey advertising information to potential purchasers of goods and services. It is also an efficient tool for non-profit/political organizations to increase the awareness in a target group of people. The presentation of an advertisement to a single internet user is referred to as an ad impression.
Billions of display ad impressions are purchased on a daily basis through public auctions hosted by real time bidding (RTB) exchanges. In many instances, a decision by an advertiser regarding whether to submit a bid for a selected RTB ad request is made in milliseconds. Advertisers often try to buy a set of ad impressions to reach as many targeted users as possible. Advertisers may seek an advertiser-specific action from advertisement viewers. For instance, an advertiser may seek to have an advertisement viewer purchase a product, fill out a form, sign up for e-mails, and/or perform some other type of action. An action desired by the advertiser may also be referred to as a conversion.